Water Reservoir Governance in Chhattisgarh: Challenges and Opportunities for Digital Transformation

Abstract

Water reservoir governance in Chhattisgarh faces a distinct structural paradox: an abundance of natural hydrometeorological resources coexisting with severe localized seasonal deficits, low creation-to-utilization ratios of irrigation potential, and complex inter-sectoral competing demands from agriculture, energy, and rapid urban centers. Traditional, fragmented governance frameworks managed across disconnected administrative bodies lack the institutional agility and the high-resolution, real-time data architectures needed to insulate the state's vulnerable socio-economic and agrarian frameworks from escalating climatic variability. From a political economy perspective, this paper evaluates the contemporary policy challenges, institutional bottlenecks, and distributive inequities plaguing reservoir governance in Chhattisgarh. We explore strategic pathways for a modern digital transformation by integrating advancements in the Internet of Things (IoT), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and Artificial Intelligence (AI). We propose a unified framework for secure, resilient, and intelligent water management designed to optimize economic allocation efficiency and institutional accountability. This includes deploying real-time telemetry network layers for dynamic capacity monitoring, leveraging Geospatial AI (GeoAI) for structural resilience and climate change mitigation, and implementing rigorous cybersecurity frameworks to protect critical hydrological infrastructures from emerging digital vulnerabilities. Ultimately, the paper outlines a policy roadmap to shift the state's reservoir management from a reactive, manual operational paradigm to a predictive, data-driven governance model that secures equitable resource distribution and regional economic stability.